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Day 9

Another milestone, hooray! Went in to work today for a few hours. It was much harder to get out of the house than I expected but it was great to get out of the house. Got down the stairs OK and it was nice to see everyone at work.

Then we had a bit of a surprise party for Dave’s birthday. Pizza and friends — not a bad way to celebrate 35!

Today’s Stats
Stopped taking Advil every 8 hours; doing well.

Learned Today
Turns out out Dr. Schena (orthopedic surgeon I have an appointment with on Tuesday) does all of his surgeries at New England Baptist Hospital which is nationally recognized as one of the best orthopedic hospitals in the country. Thanks to Holly for the recommendation! And luckily, it’s not on my insurance’s list of “high-cost” hospitals.

Day 8

First time out of the house!

Big lesson of the day, don’t go to Target when you’re on crutches. They didn’t have what I needed (where are the wide-legged pants??) and people don’t move out of the way of someone on crutches. Harrumph.

Today’s Stats
Setting: flexion limit 80°, extension limit 20°
Leg lifts: rest day
Thigh lifts: rest day

Day 7: one week later

Today’s Stats
Setting: flexion limit 80°, extension limit 20°
Leg lifts: 30, 25, 30,
Thigh lifts: 30, 30, 30 (hard!),

What I learned today:
* Health insurance doesn’t cover transportation to get to and from work.
* Sitting while on a work call for an hour not paying attention to your leg is a bad idea and may lead to really, really cold feet.
* Cold feet is not necessarily something to freak out about if it’s transient.
* With knee injuries, you do want to be careful with clots. Look out for cold feet AND pain in calves or thighs.

Quick and impressive party appetizer

Always a crowd pleaser, cheese straws are super easy to make, if a little messy!

My favorite recipe is Ina Garten’s Cheese Straws [Barefoot Contessa recipe link].

Of course feel free to change up the toppings if you want to get creative. I usually skip the thyme leaves just because I never have them on hand.

 

Ina Garten’s Cheese Straws

2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
1 egg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board until it’s 10 x 12 inches. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the Gruyère, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper. With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11 or 12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw (or the entire baking sheet if you’re lazy) and bake for another 2 minutes. Don’t overbake or the cheese will burn. Cool and serve at room temperature. ** If you happen to peek at them and see cheese oils seeping and the cheese looking gloopy, don’t panic! In just a few more minutes they will puff up and look delicious.